Baby Boy Smith
by RainGirl9
Summary: Soon after losing Jenny, the Doctor is asked to care for an orphaned newborn. Only, there's something special about Baby Boy Smith. (D/D. AU.)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This will eventually be a Doctor/Donna romance, so you may not want to proceed if you're a strictly friendship person. Also, warnings for a slightly insensitive Martha - I love her, but it was necessary for the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

* * *

"Martha just called," the Doctor announced as he appeared in the kitchen. He sank down onto his chair at the table and busied himself with smoothing out an invisible wrinkle on his pyjama jacket. "She said she wants us to come back to Earth."

"Good morning to you too," Donna said, but there was no bite in her words. She slid his mug across the table to him. "Cream and sugar with a splash of tea, just for you."

"Good morning," he echoed. "And thanks."

Donna sighed as her little joke went unnoticed, but she certainly couldn't hold it against him. She gave his shoulder a fond squeeze as she circled the table and sat down next to him in her chair. "Now, what's this about Martha? Did she leave something behind, or...?"

He gave a one-shouldered shrug. "I don't think so. She just said that she wants us to come."

"Hmm. How long has it been for her?" They had dropped her off just a few days ago from their perspective, but time travel made these things confusing at the best of times.

Another shrug.

"All right, well let's have breakfast and then go see what she wants." Donna waited for a response, but when none came, she stood and went to gather some things from the fridge. "Now, how about scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon? Oh, and maybe some banana bread if there's any left?"

"I don't want to go," he said at last. Donna turned back to face him and found him staring up at at her with wide, pleading eyes.

"Why not?"

"Because…" He swallowed thickly. "She might talk about...her." The last word was whispered, as if saying it quietly could make it hurt any less, and then his whole face crumpled.

Donna didn't think she would ever get over the way her heart ached at seeing her best mate mourn his daughter. Breakfast forgotten, she went to his side and wound her arms around his shoulders. He leaned into her touch gratefully, not holding back as he had done at first, when they'd gone to find a planet for Jenny and he had pretended to be his usual self as they took in the local flora and fauna. He had been completely unconvincing, of course, but she had let him pretend until he simply couldn't anymore.

"We talk about her," she reminded him, gently, as she pulled away and took his hands in hers. Every night since, he had joined her in the library to talk until she fell asleep, his deepest feelings and thoughts pouring out and mixing with hers into a mess of tears and laughter, and then he would wake her and send her off to bed.

"Yeah, but Martha's different."

Donna bit her bottom lip. "How is she different? Is it because she was in love with you?" _And I'm not_ , she added the implied bit silently, even though the truth was just the opposite. _He could never love someone like me_.

"No, it's because she wasn't there," he corrected her. "She was off with the Hath most of the time, and I know it wasn't her fault, but… You were right there with me. You named her, and you helped me accept her, and after…you helped me. You're still helping me." He looked down at their joined hands. "Martha might not understand. I don't want her to talk about what happened. I don't even want her to say that she's sorry. I don't think I could stand it, and I might snap at her, and I don't want to do that because she's my friend, but..."

"Oh, Spaceman," Donna said, with a soft sigh, as she sat back down beside him. She didn't want to stop and think about what might have happened if she had been the one separated from him. Instead, she pressed on. "What exactly did she say when she called?"

"She just said that it was important, and to hurry."

"And you told her we would come?"

"Yeah," he said. "She expected me to say yes, and I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want to let her down."

"Then we should go. It's not good to stand up our friends," she said, gently. "What if it's an invasion or some kind of alien assassin on the loose?"

He sighed. "Can't your planet sort its own problem for once?"

Donna held his gaze for a long moment, almost waiting for him take back his words and jump into action. He didn't. He just looked at her out of those deep, haunted eyes. Slowly, she removed her hands from his. "All right. I'll go make breakfast and then we can call Martha back and tell her we're not coming." He deserved a break and the time to grieve his daughter for as long as he needed, but she couldn't bear to think of Martha waiting for them in vain. She pushed back her chair and stood up.

"Are you angry with me?" the Doctor asked.

"No, of course not," she assured him, and gently brushed her fingers through his hair as she walked past him. "I'm just hungry." She smiled at him, and earned a small smile in response.

She was almost done frying up the eggs when the Doctor's mobile rang.

"It's her," he hissed. He held the phone far away from his body like it was due to explode, starting at it with wide eyes. "What do I do?"

"Answer it," Donna said, waving her spatula at him.

He pressed the button and held it to his ear. "Um, hello?"

Donna watched him intently as he listened to whatever Martha had to say. After a moment, he looked up at her for help. ' _She wants to know why we aren't there yet_ ,' he mouthed at her.

' _Ask her what she needs_ ,' Donna mouthed back, and then she quickly slid the eggs onto a plate before they could burn.

"Um… What is it? I mean, what is it that you need exactly?" One of his hands found its way to his head to anxiously pull at his hair. "Erm, has it got something to do with aliens?"

A pause.

"Oh, it does?" He looked back at Donna, but she just shrugged. It was up to him to decide what to do.

"N-no, I'm fine," he said. "Just, you know… Donna and I are a bit busy doing...stuff."

A long pause.

"No, no, I'm not ill." He paused. "Donna's not either." Another pause. "Yes, I'd tell you if we were."

Donna snorted. Of course Martha would think there was something seriously wrong with one of them with the way he was acting!

"Okay, yeah. We'll be there. 'Course we will." He looked to Donna for approval, but she could only raise her eyebrows at him. "Yeah. We'll be there in just a minute. Bye." He hung up his mobile and stared at for a moment before slamming it down on the table. "Oh, what did I just do?"

"Well, you didn't say no, for starters," Donna said, as she carried their plates to the table. "Here, eat and try not to worry. Maybe it won't be much of anything at all."

* * *

Martha greeted them with hugs and an apology. "I know you just dropped me off, but something has come up and you're the only ones who can help," she explained as they walked through the gleaming white halls of a UNIT building.

"Help with what? What's wrong?" Donna asked.

"It's actually a bit hard to explain, but you'll see soon enough. We're nearly there." She gestured vaguely in the direction they were walking.

The Doctor met Donna's gaze and they shared a nervous look. She took his hand as they continued to follow Martha.

Eventually, they came to a door marked nursery.

"Nursery?" Donna whispered to the Doctor. "Do you think it could be the Adipose again?"

He shook his head, but she got no further answer out of him.

"Don't worry, it's nothing dangerous," Martha assured them as she scanned her badge. The lock clicked open, and she held the door open so they could go through in front of her.

Inside was a room full of the usual human nursery stuff, except that there were a number of strange machines spread out between the changing table and the cot. In one corner sat a young woman rocking a baby.

"Oh," the Doctor said, his voice flat. "Sorry to disturb you."

Donna turned back to Martha. "Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Yes, of course," she said, ushering them the rest of the way in. "Doctor, Donna, this is Rita. She's one of our volunteers."

"Hello," the Doctor said. Donna echoed his greeting with her own.

"I'm glad you've come," Rita said, with a shy smile. She couldn't have been older than eighteen, and her brown pigtails made her look younger still. "It's a real honor to meet you both."

"Thank you," Donna answered for herself and the Doctor, hoping to spare Rita from any possible irritated response. She squeezed the Doctor's hand and he nodded in agreement.

"And this is Baby Boy Smith," Martha said, nodding at the tiny infant in Rita's arms.

Donna walked across the room and looked down at the baby with a smile. He was swaddled tightly in soft blankets, but his tiny pink face was peaceful in sleep. "Oh, he's precious," she cooed. "And look at those eyelashes." His eyes were framed with the kind of long, thick lashes that normally only came from a box or the salon.

"I know," Rita said, grinning. "I always tease him and say that I'd be happy to trade any time that he likes."

Donna chuckled. "How old is he?"

"He's only five days old," she replied, and then she looked expectantly at Martha, obviously waiting on some kind of cue.

"Go on," Martha said, nodding.

"Would you like to hold him?"

"Oh, yes, if you're sure it's okay." Rita assured her that it was, so Donna held out her arms to take the baby. To her surprise, he didn't so much as stir when Rita stood from the rocking chair and carefully passed him into her arms. Donna held the baby securely against her chest, hardly able to believe how small and light he was. She hadn't held a newborn since Nerys had had her twins a few years ago. "Look, Doctor," she said, as the baby made a sucking motion in his sleep.

The Doctor crossed the room to stand beside her, and Donna shifted so he could see better. His face softened as he looked down at the baby. "He's a bit hungry, isn't he?" he said, as the baby continued to suckle in his dreams.

Rita gasped. "You were right, Martha! He can tell!"

Both the Doctor and Donna looked at her in surprise.

Rita covered her mouth with both hands, her cheeks flushed pink. "Oops," she squeaked. "I'm so sorry."

"It's all right," Martha said.

"I really didn't mean to!"

"I know. Don't worry, you have done absolutely nothing wrong," Martha assured her. "Now, why don't you go to the break room while I finish up here?"

As soon as Rita was gone, Martha cleared her throat. "I'm sorry about that."

"What's going on?" Donna asked. "Why was she so upset?"

"It's a long story," Martha said with a sigh. "But first, how have you been, Doctor? I should have asked you right away, but I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"I'm fine," he said, shortly. "Now, what did you need from us?"

If Martha were upset by his tone, she didn't show it. "It's about baby Smith here," she began. "His mother was found wandering the streets just over a week ago. She was brought here for medical care as she was heavily pregnant and in the beginning stages of labor. She didn't speak, and not even our best translation tools could decipher the few sounds she did make, but it was obvious that she wasn't well."

"Oh no," Donna said, realization dawning on her as she looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms.

"We were eventually able to identify her as an Arelisien," Martha continued.

"But they're extinct," the Doctor said, now looking at her with interest.

"That's what we thought," Martha said. "As far as we know, she was the last of her species. Well, second to last."

Donna cast a glance at the Doctor to see how he was handling the new information, but his face was completely blank. "What happened?" she asked, hoping for the best, but already knowing that it didn't end well.

"The poor woman was in labor for days. She cried and cried, but no one could console her. Our drugs couldn't touch either her pain or her illness." Martha's voice shook. "She died shortly after the birth. It was awful."

"She must have had the virus that killed them off," the Doctor said, quietly, as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "There was nothing you could have done."

Martha nodded. "Thank you. It means a lot to hear you say that."

"But what does any of this have to do with us?" Donna asked.

"Well, I thought…" She took a deep breath. "The baby hasn't been doing well. He will hardly eat, and he cries when he's awake like there's something we can't see eating away at him. We've tested him for just about everything, but he doesn't seem to be sick. He's just miserable, and we don't expect him to survive for much longer if he continues on like this."

"Oh, the poor little thing," Donna said, dread filling her stomach as she cuddled him closer to her chest. "Isn't there anything you can do for him?"

"We have made a few attempts to tube feed him, but he screamed night and day until we took it out. He has been getting IV fluids and some immune system boosters, but they haven't helped." Martha paced anxiously in place. "The Arelisiens were a telepathic species. We don't know much about them, but we've come to suspect that they may need a telepathic bond with a parent to survive."

"You're right," the Doctor said, softly. "There are a number of species who depend on such a bond to develop outside of the womb. The Arelisiens were one of them."

Donna's eyes grew wide as it hit her. "Doctor, were your people another?"

"Yes," he admitted.

Martha turned to him with hope written all over her face. "That's why I asked you both to come here. I thought maybe you would be willing to provide the bond that he needs."

"No," the Doctor said, taking a step away. "No, I won't. I can't."

"But he'll die," Donna said, her heart breaking for the baby as the truth sank in.

"It's not that simple," he insisted.

"I know you just lost Jenny, but I haven't been able to find anyone else to ask, so please consider-" Martha began.

"No!" the Doctor shouted. He jabbed a finger in her direction. "Don't you dare try to use her to guilt me into it!"

"If you'll just let me exp-"

"No!" he roared, and then he turned and stalked from the room.

Donna was about to go after him when the baby startled awake and began to gasp for air. A thin wail filled the room, but it soon turned into a crackling hum as his weak lungs struggled to keep up with the effort of crying.

"Shh, it's all right," Donna soothed, but he only cried harder. She looked desperately at Martha for help. "What do I do?"

"There's nothing we can do. That's what he does when he's awake," she said. "His body is so weak that we're afraid he's going to go into cardiac arrest."

Donna sat down in the rocking chair and rocked him back and forth, watching as his tiny chest heaved through the blanket. Tears welled in her own eyes as his cry faded even more until he was screaming silently, his face bright red. "Please stop," she begged.

And then suddenly the Doctor was back. He knelt down in front of Donna and placed his fingers on the baby's temples. The baby instantly quieted, blinked twice and went back to sleep.

Donna sighed with relief and slumped back in the chair, but the Doctor wouldn't give her a moment to gather her wits.

"Come on, Donna, let's go," he said, as he lifted the baby from her arms and unceremoniously passed him to Martha.

"But-"

"Come on," he repeated, holding out his hand for her. "We need to go home."

"Doctor-" Martha started.

"No!" He turned to face her, fire in his eyes. "I don't know who you think you are that you can ask me to do this."

"I just thought you might have a bit of compassion for a being who is in the same situation as you," she said. "I guess I thought wrong."

"I guess you did," he sneered, and then he turned back to Donna. "Please, let's go," he said, softly, holding out his hand to her again.

Donna bit her tongue to stop herself from shouting at him as she normally would. The Doctor was unreasonable when he got like this, so it wouldn't do any good. "Fine," she said, softly, and took his hand so he could lead her out of the building. She cast an apologetic glance at Martha as they went. ' _I'll talk to him_ ,' she mouthed, already making plans for their nightly discussion.

There was no way she would let an innocent child die if she could do something to help.

* * *

A/N: I've always said that I wouldn't post anything until it's finished, but I've been in a bit of a writing slump lately, and I haven't been happy with anything that I've written. I decided to go ahead post this in the hopes that it would motivate me to write more. Just a heads up that it may be a while before I post another chapter as this is all I have written so far. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Not too long of a wait, right?

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.

* * *

Donna took a few deep breaths as the Doctor led her back to the TARDIS, preparing herself for what was to come. Her stomach was still in knots with worry, and she honestly didn't know if she could stand to wait until later to talk to him about the baby. All she knew for sure was that she didn't want to get into shouting match with him. That was the last thing he needed right now. Maybe he would run off deep into the bowels of the TARDIS before she could even begin to speak. There often seemed to be something that desperately needed fixing just when she wanted to have an uncomfortable conversation with him.

But the Doctor didn't let go of her hand as soon as they walked through the door like she had expected. Instead, he pulled her along after him to the library and insisted that she sit down on the sofa. "I know what you're going to say," he said, as he sat down beside her.

"Do you?" she asked, flatly. As if it were a hard thing to guess.

His eyes were firmly fixed on his knees as he nodded. "You want me to bond with the baby."

"I just don't see what the problem is," she admitted. Emotion crept into her voice as she heard the baby's screams again in her mind, and she swallowed hard to regain control of herself. "You're always so willing to save everyone else, no matter how awful they seem. Why not this poor innocent baby?"

"It really isn't as simple as you think it is," he said.

"Well, why not?" she demanded. "Doesn't he deserve a chance?"

The Doctor glanced at her. "I know you won't believe me, but it wasn't easy for me to walk away."

"You could have fooled me," she hissed. Anger was boiling up just below the surface as he gave her one non-answer after another.

"Do you remember the Ood song?" he asked, and waited for her to say yes. When she did, he went on, "Do you remember how it made you feel? How sad and hopeless and sick with despair, until you couldn't stand to hear it anymore?"

Donna gasped as it finally dawned on her. "You could hear the baby," she said. "Telepathically, I mean."

"Yeah," he murmured. "I could."

She reached out to touch his arm, offering comfort despite herself. "I should have realized."

"He knew I was there, and he knew I left, and he… He wanted me, Donna. He tried so hard to push his way into my mind, he was just so desperate for a connection. I've never felt anything like it before."

"Not even with your own children?"

"No." He shook his head. "We, er… That is, my wife and I bonded with our children immediately after their births. We didn't leave them in psychic seclusion to suffer for days."

She took a moment to absorb what he said, but it didn't answer her question. "I still don't understand," she said. "Why can't you bond with him?"

He sighed. "Arelisiens have a very similar lifespan to Humans, for one thing."

She tried and failed to think of a reason why that should matter. "And?"

"Bonds are permanent," he said, softly, leaning closer to her. He turned to face her and gazed deeply into her eyes as if he were looking for something; some kind of sign that she would understand. He hesitated for a moment longer, nervously shifting himself on his seat, and then he explained. "They aren't something to be formed lightly. When you bond with someone, they become a part of you, and you become part of them. From that point on, you can sense each other's thoughts and feelings without having to be in physical contact. And when they die...you feel them go, and then the bond breaks, and it _hurts_. It hurts so much, and it never really stops." He swallowed thickly. "Every bond I've ever formed has broken. If I bonded with the baby, he would be just one more person to add to the list, and I don't _ever_ want to feel that again."

Donna absorbed the new information, her grip on his arm tightening. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"I know you didn't," he said, gently. "That's why I needed to explain. I didn't want you to hate me."

"Oh, Spaceman, I could never hate you," she assured him, and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor murmured into her shoulder.

"Shh, there's no need for you to be sorry." Donna closed her eyes, holding him tight. He had been through far more than anyone deserved to be put through, especially someone as kind and gentle as he was. She couldn't even imagine what it would be like to physically feel someone she loved die. Her thoughts turned to her dad as tears stung her eyes. Could she have carried on living if she had felt what he felt as he slipped from life? It had been hard enough to lose him as it was, and sometimes she still wondered how she got along without him.

"On Gallifrey…" she began, as thoughts of her dad shifted back to the baby.

The Doctor pulled away from her enough to meet her eyes. "Hmm?"

"What happened if both of a child's parents died?"

"Well…" He paused to think. "Death was very uncommon for us before the War. To lose both parents during the critical years would have been…" He shook his head. "Well, it almost never happened. Not to anyone I knew, at least."

"The critical years?"

"The first three years of life. After that, the bond isn't required to sustain life, although I don't know of anyone who ever lost both parents beyond that period, either."

"But what if it did happen?" she persisted. For some reason it seemed important to her. Maybe if she knew what used to happen, she could find some way to help the baby now. Things may have been different for the Time Lords, and the Arelisians only had a Human lifespan, but they both must have had some kind of plan for when the unthinkable happened. Right?

"I assume a close relative would have taken in the child and formed a new bond."

"Oh," she said, softly. "I wish Martha could find someone who would bond with the baby. I just can't stand the thought of him lying there..." She took a deep breath as the hopelessness of the situation hit her again. "It can't be that difficult to find someone, can it?"

"I don't know," he said, softly. "The ability to form the kind of telepathic bond he needs isn't exactly common. Even most of the strongest telepathic species were lucky enough to evolve without the ability to form bonds."

"But do you think we can try to find someone?" she asked, softly, as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Surely there's someone out there in the universe who would be willing to help?"

"We can try," he agreed, and hugged her again.

* * *

But after their fifteenth stop, Donna was beginning to lose hope. No one had been willing to even consider helping the poor baby, not even the people and families who claimed to desperately want children. He would be troubled, they told her, sickly and not quite right in the head because he had been left without a bond for too long. More than person told them it would be more humane for the baby to die. Even the Doctor's assurances that different species were more resilient than others couldn't console Donna after the umpteenth time that she'd heard it.

Donna walked back into the TARDIS with her head hung low. She was too worn out and heartsick even to cry anymore as she followed the Doctor into the kitchen. "What are we going to do?" she asked, miserably.

"There are a few more place we can try," he assured her, but the hopeful tone he'd kept up for so long was gone.

"They'll say no."

"You don't know that."

"And what if he's already…" She couldn't bring herself to say it. "We haven't called Martha to ask how he's doing in a while."

"How about this," he began, as he poured her a cup of tea. "I'll drop you off to visit with Martha and check up on the baby, and I'll go check out the last few places alone. How does that sound?"

"Okay," she agreed. "Can we go now?"

"You need to rest," he reminded her, gently, as he handed her the cup. "Why don't we have a bite to eat, take a nap, and then we'll go?"

"I'm fine," she said, though her whole body ached with weariness. "Let's go."

"At least drink your tea first," he insisted. "And I'm going to make you a sandwich. Does turkey and cheese sound all right?"

"Yes, but make one for yourself, too."

* * *

The Doctor made every effort to find someone who would be willing to help the baby, but in the end, he just wasn't successful. He set the coordinates that would take him back to Donna with heavy hearts. How would he break the news to her? His poor Earthgirl who wanted so badly to save everyone.

He landed outside of the UNIT building and slowly made his way from the console to the door. He unlocked it and was about to pull it open when suddenly it swung open on its own.

"There you are," Donna exclaimed, as she stepped inside. "I was starting to think you weren't coming back."

But the Doctor wasn't listening because, held securely in Donna Noble's arms, was Baby Boy Smith.

"What?" he spluttered.

Donna walked past him into the console room. "Martha said he hasn't woken up since we left yesterday. She doesn't know if he will survive the night." She looked away from the sleeping baby and up into the Doctor's eyes. Her own eyes were red and swollen, and her pale skin was blotchy from crying. "You didn't find anyone, did you?" she asked, desperately.

"No, I didn't," he said, softly. "I'm so sorry, Donna. But w-"

"I just don't want him to die alone," she said, as fresh tears filled her eyes and spilled over. "I asked Martha if I could bring him back here with me so that we could…" She let out a broken sob, as her voice took on a higher, pleading note. "He deserves a name and someone to love him before he goes. Can't we at least give him that much? Please, Doctor."

The Doctor looked at his companion, his hearts aching over what he knew was about to happen. He didn't understand why she affected so much, but her tears had always been his undoing.

He looked at the baby she held so carefully in her arms. He could sense the baby's sleeping mind, completely at peace in unconsciousness. And then he sensed as the baby realized that he was there; another mind in the far too empty psychic space. He had already grown too weak to open his eyes, but his mind was strong and eager as he tried to start the bonding process. The Doctor gasped as he once again felt the baby's desperation for a connection scrabbling at his mind. Only this time, he didn't try to pull away, not even as the baby's intense hunger washed over him along with the pain of his malnourished body and failing organs. He was so new and yet already hurting so much.

So lonely and afraid.

All alone in the universe.

The last of his kind.

The Doctor opened his mind to the baby, and the bond was formed instantly. Tears filled his eyes as intense feelings of relief and love flooded into his mind from the baby.

"I… I-I did it," the Doctor told Donna, his voice shaky with emotion. "I bonded with him. Take him to the medbay so the TARDIS can heal him. I-I'll be back."

And then the Doctor turned and sprinted through the still-open door.

"Doctor!" Donna shouted after him, but he didn't stop. She took a few steps as if to follow him, but she knew that she was too slow to keep up with him when he ran full speed, and she didn't want to risk dropping the baby.

Instead, she turned and walked as quickly as she could to the medbay. "You're going to be all right," she told the baby, a smile on her lips for the first time in what felt like ages as everything sank in. "The Doctor saved you."

When she made it to the medbay, the TARDIS helpfully put instructions in English up on the screen for her to read. All she needed to do was put the baby in what looked like a little incubator with dark sides. "You'll feel better soon," she assured him, as she laid him down inside and then closed the hatch.

She stepped back, almost expecting something dramatic to happen, but instead, all that happened was the incubator-like machine began to hum as it came to life and started its work.

Donna looked back at the screen to see if she needed to do anything else, but there was only a blinking message.

 **Please wait.**

 **29 hours, 57 minutes remain.**

With a sigh, she went to get herself a chair and a blanket to settle in for the long haul. There was no way that she would leave the baby alone. She just hoped the Doctor actually would come back, but she refused to let herself continue with that train of thought for now. "He said he'd be back, so he'll come back," she told herself, firmly, and then she wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and sat down to wait.

* * *

A/N: I normally make plans and outlines for my writing, so it feels really strange not to be doing any of that with this. Please let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter actually flowed very well for me, and I had fun writing it! It is rather long, but I couldn't find a good place to divide it up without making both parts seem a bit too short.

There's a little bit of silliness in this chapter, and I suppose the T rating kicks in here as well.

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.

* * *

The Doctor crept back on board the TARDIS hours later, his hands full with shopping bags. He sat them down near the console and went to find Donna to apologize. Hopefully she wouldn't be too angry with him for running away. He peeked into her bedroom, but found it empty, so he went to check the medbay. He could feel the baby's presence in his mind, stronger now thanks to their close proximity, but he was mercifully unconscious and had been for hours, put into a supported kind of healing trance as the TARDIS worked to stabilize and heal his physical body.

Donna was curled up on a hard plastic chair in the medbay with a thin blanket wrapped around her shoulders, her neck bent forward at an uncomfortable looking angle. She was snoring softly, her chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm. The Doctor sighed as a soft affection filled him at the sight of his sleeping companion. "Donna," he whispered, as he gave her shoulder a shake. "Wake up."

"Hmm?" she murmured, her eyelids fluttering.

"Come on, you need to get up and go to bed."

She yawned and squinted up at him. "You came back," she murmured, her voice hoarse with sleep.

"'Course I came back," he said, frowning. Did she really think that he might not?

"Where did you go?" She stretched her stiff limbs and shifted herself in the chair with a groan as she pulled herself further away from sleep. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I just… I needed some time alone to think and figure things out." He paused, trying to decide how much to tell her. She quite desperately needed to catch up on her sleep, and he didn't want to upset her now that she'd finally had a moment to relax in the knowledge that the baby wouldn't die. The more important details could wait until after she had rested. "And then I went shopping for baby supplies. You'll have to take a look in the morning and let me know if I missed anything."

"You went shopping for baby supplies?" she repeated. A note of disbelief crept into her tone despite her sleepy voice.

He nodded. "The TARDIS can provide the furniture, but he'll need all of the usual stuff when he wakes up. I just got the basics for now because I thought you might want to choose some things."

"Thank you. For everything." Donna held her arms up to him for a hug, and he was happy to oblige. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and soaked up her touch as she wound her arms around his waist. When she rested her head against his stomach with a happy sigh, he couldn't help but smile.

"How much longer does he have to be in that thing?" she asked.

The Doctor glanced over at the medpod where the baby slept. "About twenty-four more hours."

"Are you sure he's okay in there? I wanted to check, but I didn't want to mess anything up."

"He's fine. He's just sleeping."

She fell silent for a long moment, her arms tightening around him in a grateful hug. The Doctor gave her a little squeeze in return and gently brushed his fingers through the length of her hair. He had only been gone for a few hours, but he had missed having her by his side, and it seemed like maybe she had missed him too. He looked down at her to ask, only to find that her eyes were closed.

"Donna?"

No response.

"Donna?" he repeated, louder this time.

"Shh."

"Did you just shush me?" he asked, with a chuckle.

She smiled, but her eyes remained closed. "Mmm."

"Come on, let's get you to bed."

"I need to keep an eye on the baby," she insisted, as she sat up and pulled away from him.

"You can't keep an eye on him if you're asleep. It doesn't matter whether you're here or in bed, so you might as well be comfortable," he coaxed. "The TARDIS will let us know if anything happens."

She finally agreed and allowed him to walk her to her bedroom. She opened the door, but didn't go in quite yet. Instead, she turned to face him. "You need to get some sleep, too," she told him, firmly. "You look like you're ready to drop."

He wanted to argue, but after the day they'd had, he was absolutely exhausted and didn't doubt that he looked it. "I will," he assured her.

She sighed. "Why don't I believe you? You'll probably close your eyes for two seconds, consider yourself to be done with sleep for a full year and then hop back up to work on the reverse brakes, or whatever it is that needs fixing now."

The Doctor tilted his head as a silly idea came to him; likely the product of his overtired mind. "Well, I could always sleep wi- next to you, so you'll know if I get up," he suggested, and added in an eyebrow waggle for good measure.

He expected her to scoff and call him one of the many nicknames she'd given him - Martian, most likely - and then they'd both chuckle and head off to their separate beds in their separate rooms.

Instead, she nodded. "All right. Go get changed and then come back, but you'd better actually sleep. I don't need a wiggly blanket hog in my bed."

The Doctor blinked at her in surprise. "But, um…"

"Well go on then," she insisted, waving her hands at him.

So he went to his room, his shock fading and turning into something more like anticipation as he took off his clothes and slipped into his pyjamas. He sprayed himself with a dash of his favorite cologne on a whim, hoping to cover up any smells that might linger on him after the difficult day, and then he headed back out into the corridor.

Donna was already in bed when he made it back to her room, but she was still awake and held his side of the covers up for him. He slid in next to her and settled onto the soft mattress, being sure to maintain a comfortable distance from her.

"Thank you for saving the baby," Donna said, softly, as she touched his shoulder. "I know it wasn't an easy thing for you to do, and I want you to know that I… It means a lot to me."

He swallowed thickly. "About that…We, um, there's something that we need to talk about, but it can wait until tomorrow."

"What is it? He will be okay, won't he?" she asked, as her grip on his shoulder tightened.

"Yes, of course he'll be okay," he assured her, as he placed a hand over hers. "He'll be better than okay. It's just the...logistics that need to be worked out."

"Logistics?"

"In the morning," he reminded her. "We both need to get some sleep for now."

"Okay," she agreed, but the Doctor got the distinct feeling that she would have argued with him if she hadn't been so tired. "Good night, Doctor."

"Good night."

He closed his eyes, but sleep wouldn't come despite the exhaustion that had settled into his bones. He listened to Donna breathe in the darkness, and his mind wandered.

Almost immediately after he had bonded with the baby and then dashed from the TARDIS, he had started having some strange, intrusive thoughts. Thoughts about himself and Donna...together, as a couple. Fantasies, even. The kind that made him blush with shame. He knew that they were caused by his fluctuating hormones; it was only natural for a male Gallifreyan to feel closer and more attracted to his partner after bonding with their child, after all. His ancient instincts and bonding hormones didn't know that the child wasn't his. But Donna wasn't his partner, and he wasn't bonded to her. So why was this happening to him?

He'd always thought she was beautiful, with her full curves and her lovely ginger hair. And she was brilliant, compassionate, kind, and yet not afraid to put him in his place when he needed it. He may have had a small crush on her from almost the moment they'd first met, but she obviously wasn't interested in him like that, and so he had refused to let himself fall for her. Besides, Gallifreyan relationships required the couple to bond before they could mate the full, proper way - telepathically, rather than just physically, and he was dead set against forming any new bonds. The baby hadn't changed that.

But with her lying in bed next to him, it was hard not to let his more primitive thoughts flow freely, and soon he was imagining himself cuddling into her backside, his front pressed against her bottom. His hands found her full breasts, and oh, the way she turned to putty at his touch. "Donna…" he groaned.

"Hmm?" she murmured.

The Doctor's eyes widened in shock and embarrassment as heat rushed to his face. He stayed silent, hoping she would go back to sleep, his hearts pounding in his chest.

"Doctor, are you all right over there?"

No such luck. "Yeah," he answered, cautiously.

"Can't sleep?"

"Erm. No, I suppose not," he admitted, sheepishly.

"Me neither. I keep thinking about the baby. I hope he'll be okay." She sighed. "What if everyone was right about it being too late? What if he goes insane, like some of them said?"

"I think he'll be fine," the Doctor assured her, gently. "Really, I do. He's got the TARDIS helping him, after all, and he comes from a strong people."

"I hope so." She rolled over to face him, and to his surprise, wrapped an arm around his waist and rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. "Is this all right?"

"Yeah," he squeaked, as her warmth filled him. Her arm was just above his waistband, down low on his hips, and it took all of his willpower not to react to the sensations that coursed through him like electricity.

"Good night, again," she said.

"G'night, Donna," he breathed.

Only when he was absolutely positive that she was asleep, the Doctor untangled himself from her, got up and headed into her bathroom. When he came out a little while later, he was finally able to fall asleep.

* * *

Donna woke up to find herself alone in her bed. She remembered falling asleep in the Doctor's arms the night before, all warm and snuggled up together. He had probably only stayed put until she fell asleep, daft Martian that he was. Still, the thought made her smile, and she realized that she wouldn't mind sharing a bed with him again. He smelled good, and made a surprisingly decent pillow despite his bony frame.

She took a quick shower and dressed for the day, wearing a simple pair of jeans and a solid purple shirt. Excitement warred with nervousness inside her as she realized that the baby would be out of the incubator soon. They would get to meet him properly now that he wasn't sick.

She walked into the kitchen, ready to make the tea and start cooking breakfast, but someone had beaten her to it. Plates piled high with all sorts of food covered the table. The dishes, which had begun to pile up over the past few days, were freshly washed and in the drainer. And the Doctor was on his hands and knees, scrubbing the kitchen floor with a toothbrush. Donna stood with a goofy grin on her face as she watched him work.

It took him a while to realize that he was being watched, but when he finally did, he stopped scrubbing and looked up at her with a beaming smile. "Good morning, Donna!"

"Good morning," she said. "What are you up to?"

"Oh, well…" He shrugged and stood up, leaving the toothbrush on the floor. "I made breakfast. You've done it every day for a while now, so I thought it was my turn to repay the favor." He waved a hand at the table and began listing everything he'd made. "Eggs, cheese, sausages, bacon, fried potatoes, toast, beans, pancakes, orange slices, and sautéed peppers and onions. And I baked scones and blueberry muffins."

"You've made us a whole feast," Donna said, laughing as she took everything in. It all looked perfectly cooked and smelled delicious. "It must have taken you hours to cook all of this!"

"Well, you're worth it," he said, quietly.

There was her sweet Spaceman. Donna smiled at him and pulled him into a hug. "Shall we eat, or do you want to finish scrubbing the floor first?"

He ducked his head shyly. "I thought I might as well clean up while I waited for you to wake up, but I'm ready to eat if you are."

* * *

Donna felt absolutely stuffed after eating, so much so that her stomach ached and she wanted to go lie down while she digested. She knew she would kick herself for going off her diet later, but it had all tasted so good, and the Doctor had been so obviously proud of his efforts that she hadn't been able to stop herself from overindulging.

"How much longer does the baby have?" she asked the Doctor, as she undid the button of her jeans under the table and then wiggled the zip down silently so that she could breathe.

"Another fourteen hours or so," he said. "But about that…we need to talk."

She nodded, encouraging him to go on.

His eyes, which had shone with pride only a moment ago, were now full of worry and something like dread. "Donna, I… I can't be a dad again. I just can't, and I hope you're not expecting me to be one to the baby. I've bonded with him, but I can't do any more than that."

"You aren't suggesting that we drop him back off with Martha, are you?" she asked, cautiously. She hated the thought of leaving him to be raised by an organization that might want to poke and prod him. Martha would certainly try to protect him, but the baby was a grey area as he didn't officially belong to anyone but instead was considered a ward of UNIT. Now that he wasn't dying, they might not be so willing to let him go. He was an endangered species, after all.

The Doctor shook his head. "No. He needs to be around me because of the bond, at least for now, but I can't do more than let him stay here until he's old enough to go out on his own. I just can't."

"Doctor, he's just a baby," Donna said. "He needs someone to take care of him, hold him, love him, teach him how to grow up and be a good person."

He sighed heavily, his eyes pleading with her. "Not me. I can't."

"I think you can," she said, softly, as she reached for his hand. "I know you're scared, and I understand why, but I also know that you can do anything. You can be a dad again - a brilliant one. And I'll help you."

He squeezed her hand, but shook his head. "You think too much of me, Donna Noble."

"I never thought I would say this," she began, slowly, "but maybe you need to think more of yourself sometimes, Doctor." He had so much love and compassion for others despite everything that had happened to him in his long life that it took her breath away sometimes. She knew he could do this. "Besides, you've already done the hardest part, haven't you?"

She didn't say it, but she knew that he knew exactly what she meant - the Doctor was going to feel him die eventually, no matter what.

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably on his seat, his free hand going to the back of his neck to rub. "Donna…"

"I just want you to try," she said, gently. "I'll be right there with you, and I'll do whatever you can't do for now, but I want you to try. Please." She could see him fighting within himself, his conflicted emotions playing out on his expressive face.

"Okay," he agreed, softly.

"Okay," she repeated, and stood to give him a hug. Unfortunately, she'd forgotten that she had undone her jeans, and they slid partway down her hips as she moved. And of course the Doctor's eyes were drawn right there.

"You're wearing lacy knickers," he said, softly, as he stared, almost transfixed.

"Oi! Don't look, you dunce!" Donna cried, as she hurriedly tugged her jeans back up and did up her button and zip. Her face was on fire as she thumped him softly on the chest.

"Sorry," he spluttered, as he flushed red. "I-I'm sorry."

She rolled her eyes at him, but followed through with the hug anyway. He hugged her back, and then they each took an awkward step away from the other. "I might go lie back down for a little while," she said. "Wake me up if anything with the baby changes."

"Okay. I think I'm going to finish scrubbing the floor," he said, and gestured to the room at large.

* * *

Donna slept for almost an hour and felt much better when she got up. This time, she found the Doctor dusting the shelves in the library.

"Have you got the cleaning bug or something?" she asked, as she watched him stretch himself out on his toes to dust the top shelf. The TARDIS usually took care of herself, save for the little things like dirty dishes and clothes that were left on the floor instead of put into the chute.

"Something like that," he remarked.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm…y'know." He waved his feather duster at her over his shoulder.

"I don't," she insisted.

He shrugged and went back to dusting.

Donna watched him for a moment longer, and then it occurred to her. "You're nesting, aren't you?" she asked, as she put one hand on her hip.

Nerys had gone through this when she was pregnant, and she had nearly driven Donna up the wall with requests to help her clean and reorganize her closet. The Doctor obviously wasn't pregnant, and he was male to boot, but he had just become a parent of sorts, and who knew how these things worked for aliens? All she knew was that his behavior had suddenly seemed painfully obvious to her.

"I'm not a bird," he grouched, as he turned to face her. "But yeah, I suppose I am."

Donna smiled. "That's actually really sweet."

"No, it's not," he complained, as he sank onto the old leather sofa that sat in the middle of the room. "My arms are killing me, but I can't seem to stop. These bloody bonding hormones are driving me mad."

"Bonding hormones?" she asked, as she sat beside him and wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders.

"Yeah. They're meant to help you prepare for parenthood and strengthen your bond with your spouse. But I just feel like everything is dirty, and even though I know logically that it's clean, I can't seem to stop myself."

"Aw, my poor Spaceman." Donna hugged him closer. "It'll pass soon, won't it?"

"I dunno," he murmured, as he leaned tiredly against her. "I hope so."

She nodded and stroked his hair until he couldn't resist the urge to continue dusting any longer.

* * *

A/N: Don't worry, the baby will be in the next chapter. I haven't forgotten about him! :)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This is the second to last chapter.

dm1: Does a friend interrupting on behalf of the baby work? :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

* * *

Donna frowned when she entered the kitchen and found the Doctor hard at work making their dinner. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate him cooking - she did, very much so. Everything he made tasted good, well, except for the banana flavored ketchup disaster he'd made several months ago, and she was happy that he finally had his appetite back.

But he seemed to think that he had to cook enough to feed a whole army. Or at least that she was hungry enough to eat an army's worth of food. He had made himself a sandwich for lunch a few hours earlier, and he'd made her three. Three sandwiches, with all of the toppings! And he'd expected her to eat them all _and_ a salad on the side, even though she was still full from breakfast. She'd hated the look of disappointment on his face when she refused to eat more than a few bites, but what else could she do?

Maybe it wasn't too late to stop him this time. "Hey there, Spaceman," she said, as she approached him. "What are you doing?"

"Cooking," he said, distractedly, as he worked on chopping up a head of cabbage. "How does beef stew sound?"

"You know what, I'm really not hungry. Maybe you should hold off on that, and we'll just have a little snack later if we want to," she suggested.

"You're not hungry?" He sat down his knife and turned to look at her, his eyes wide and full of concern. "But Donna, you need to eat."

"I think I'll be okay," she said, with a chuckle. "Unless you're hungry?"

"No, I'm fine. But you really should eat."

"Doctor…" She frowned at him, seeing the tense way he held his shoulders and the way he couldn't seem to stop himself. "This has something to do with bonding, doesn't?" she asked, gently.

"Yeah," he admitted, and sighed.

Donna put a hand on his shoulder, unable to hold back an affectionate smile for her friend. "So, Time Lords have babies and turn into housewives, is that about right?"

"Oi! I'm not a housewife!"

He was just so easy to tease that she couldn't help herself. "I mean, cooking and cleaning. Is there anything else that I need to know about?"

"Donna…"

"Is there?"

"Not really, no." He shook his head, but there was a decidedly guilty glimmer in his eyes.

Donna let it go for now. It was obvious that all of this was stressing him out emotionally just as much as it was physically. "All right. Well, come on, turn that off and let's go sit in the library for a while."

The Doctor looked back to where he had been working. "But…" He sighed, his voice going higher. "I just want to cook for you."

"And that's very sweet of you, but you'll be rolling me out of the TARDIS before long if you keep feeding me like this."

At least that got a giggle out of him, and then he bent to wrap his arms around her in a hug.

She hugged him back and soaked up the smell of him. The fresh, clean scent from last night had faded, but she still got notes of it mixed in with the cooking smells, and she couldn't resist taking a deep breath.

"Not even just a few bites?" he asked, cautiously.

"Oh, what am I going to do with you?" she asked, as she let go of him to turn off the cooker herself. That done, she took him by the hand and pulled him along with her to the library.

"Sit down," she insisted, pointing to the sofa.

He did as she said, still pouting.

"Turn around with your back to me," she said, as she sat down next to him, circling her finger in the air to show him what she meant. When he did, she put her hands on his shoulders and began kneading, hoping that he could even feel her touch through the many layers he wore.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor asked.

"Giving you a back rub," she explained. "I thought it might help you relax and get your mind off things for a while."

"You don't have to… Ooh," he sighed, as she hit a tight muscle.

"I want to," she said, gently. "You've done more than enough to deserve a little pampering."

He went quiet and had even started to lean back into her when the TARDIS began chiming.

"What is that?" Donna asked, as the strange noise continued. It sounded almost like wind chimes.

"It's the doorbell. Well, it's the TARDIS's way of letting us know someone is here. But how could..." And then he smacked himself on the forehead. "Oh, I'm so dense! I forgot to put us into the vortex when I got back."

Donna raised her eyebrows. He must have been very tired to forget something like that. "Who do you think it is?"

"I don't know," he said, as he stood up and offered her a hand. "Let's go find out."

* * *

"How are you?" Martha asked, as she stepped inside. She was carrying a wicker basket in one hand. "I hope you don't mind, but I thought I would check in and see how things were going."

"We're fine," the Doctor said.

Martha turned to Donna. "And you, Donna? How are you coping?"

Donna broke into a grin, happy to be able to give her friend some good news. "The Doctor saved the baby, Martha," she said, nudging him with her shoulder. "He bonded with him, and he's in the medbay right now. I'm sorry, I should have called you straight away." She'd been too caught up with the Doctor to think about it.

"Really?" Martha asked, a smile growing on her face. She sat down her basket to engulf them both in hugs, one after the other. "Oh, that's wonderful to hear! Thank you, Doctor. Thank you so much! I was so worried, I thought maybe… Oh, I knew you would save him!" She hugged him again for good measure. "Can I see him?"

"Well, he's in an induced healing sleep right now, but he should be waking up in about an hour if you'd like to stick around," the Doctor said, as he plucked at his ear, clearly a bit ruffled by Martha's praise.

"Oh, yes, thank you." She bent down to pick up her basket. "I brought you some dinner. It's just a casserole, but I thought you might not feel up to cooking. Now we'll have to make a celebration of it instead."

Donna met the Doctor's eyes, barely able to contain a laugh. "Thanks, Martha," she managed to say. "That's very thoughtful of you."

"Shall we eat in the dining room, then?" she asked, and then headed off down the corridor to set up.

"Don't say anything," Donna hissed, as the Doctor raised his eyebrow at her.

"We'll have you rolling yet, Donna Noble," he whispered, and then took off after Martha before she could swat him.

* * *

Every muscle in the Doctor's body tensed as he pressed the button that would stop the medpod's work and wake the baby. He fought the urge to slam down his mental shields, knowing that protecting himself would harm the baby who so desperately needed to feel the bond.

The hatch popped open, and Martha eagerly reached in to pick the baby up. "Oh, look at him," she said, in awe as she carefully supported his head and settled him into the crook of her arm.

He had grown a little while he was healing, and no longer looked half starved. He flailed his little arms and legs around as Martha cooed at him. The most noticeable change, though, was his hair. Where before he had been bald, he now had a full head of dark brown baby fuzz to match his big brown eyes and dark lashes.

The Doctor took a deep breath to calm himself as he felt the baby's sleepy awareness through the bond. He gently reached out to him, wanting to sense his mood. Happiness. He was happy. The baby was far too young to understand emotions, but the Doctor was relieved to know that he wasn't stuck in the lonely and fearful place from before. He tried to send back feelings of comfort and safety, but he wasn't sure if he succeeded.

"All right, Spaceman?" Donna asked him.

"Yeah," he said. He wanted to press himself into her side, but he didn't want to bother her. His stupid bonding hormones had gotten him into enough trouble earlier with the food. She wasn't his wife, she hadn't given birth to their child, and she didn't need the high calorie intake that new Gallifreyan mothers needed for the first few days after birth to recover. If only his hormone-addled brain would get the message and stop shouting at him to take proper care of her!

"Would you like to hold him?" Martha asked the Doctor.

"N-no," he said, nervously. "Let Donna."

Donna was happy to hold him. She couldn't stop smiling as she rocked him gently in her arms. "Oh, he's precious," she whispered. "Just so precious. Look at those chubby cheeks."

"He actually looks a little bit like you, Doctor," Martha pointed out, and Donna hummed in agreement.

"I've got chubby cheeks?" he asked, offended, as he brought his hands to his face to feel for himself.

"You haven't got chubby anything." Donna rolled her eyes at him. "She just means that you both have dark hair and eyes."

"Oh," he said, and blushed. He edged closer to her and looked down at the baby. Smooth pale skin, decidedly chubby cheeks, a small nose and ears that came to a subtle point.

"Isn't he cute?" Donna asked, smiling at him. "Are you sure you don't want to hold him?"

He nodded and took a step away. "Actually, I think I'm going to go get some of the things I bought yesterday," he said. "Maybe I'll start setting up the nursery."

But as he walked out of the room, he couldn't hold back his tears. He barely managed to dampen the connection between himself and the baby, not wanting to upset him, before sobs wracked his body as he was consumed by memories of other babies from so long ago. He went into his bedroom and flung himself onto his bed.

* * *

Donna found him there sometime later. "There you are," she said, as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. "Martha wants to say goodbye before she leaves, but we couldn't find- Oh, Doctor, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he murmured, into his pillow.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and gently stroked his hair. "I'm sorry if I upset you. I should have known better than to try to get you to hold him."

"It's not that." He rolled over onto his back to look up at her, sighing. "I haven't had anyone in my mind for a very long time. I just need to get used to it again, that's all." He took a shuddering breath, more tears filling his eyes. "And he looks like... It's bringing back memories that I… I can't."

"Oh, sweetheart," she breathed, and stretched herself out beside him to take him into her arms. "I'm sorry. You were doing so well earlier with Martha that I didn't even realize."

"S'okay," he said, miserably, and snuggled himself further into her embrace.

Donna's heart broke for him as she watched tears trail silently down his face. She tried to find words of comfort, but none would come. It was if the air had been sucked from the room. Here was a man who had lost more than she could ever imagine. What could she possibly say to make it better? All she could do was hold him while he cried, and hope that he knew how much she cared. She kissed him on the cheek, tasting the saltiness of his tears, and hugged him closer.

The Doctor made a soft sound in the back of his throat. "Donna," he murmured, as he brought one hand up to cradle her face. He gently stroked her forehead and cheek with his thumb, his touch featherlight as he traced her skin. She found herself melting into his tender touch, her eyes closing so that she could enjoy the sensations that coursed through her body at his simple gesture of appreciation.

And then he leaned forward and kissed her firmly on the lips.

Donna pulled away from him, her eyes wide. "Doctor," she hissed, her heart skittering in her chest.

"I-I… Sorry," he said, his mouth hanging open as if he were just as shocked as she was by his actions. "I'm sorry."

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I don't know. I didn't mean to," he said, as his eyes filled with fresh tears and he clung to her desperately. "I'm sorry. Please don't go."

She didn't know what to think, but it was obvious that he wasn't in his right mind. She refused to let herself feel hurt, or anything other than compassion for him. "It's okay," she said, softly. "I'm not upset. You've been under a lot of stress lately, and you need to relax. Here, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths with me."

She watched as he did what she said, his chest rising and falling along with hers. "There we go," she said. "Feel better?"

"Maybe a little bit."

"Good. Now, do you still feel like kissing me?" she teased.

"Yes," he said, and gave her a rather pitiful look, his eyes huge. "Can I?"

Donna's stomach wobbled at his words and the intensity of his gaze. "I- But we're just mates, right? Isn't that what we said?" She didn't dare to dream that he could actually return her feelings, and yet, some small part of her wondered if maybe, just maybe, he might.

"Yeah," he said. "We did."

"So what is all of this about, then? Really?" She held her breath as she waited for his response.

"It's nothing," he said, softly, looking away from her. "It's just…biology. I'm sorry, Donna. I'll try not do it again."

Her heart sank, but she refused to show it on her face. She couldn't stand to hurt him by trying to push her feelings onto him. "Biology?"

"Remember when I told you about the bonding hormones and how they are supposed to help bring you closer to your partner? The best I've been able to figure out is that my body has gone a bit haywire because I keep getting these feelings like I did the first time around. Only, I'm not married, so…"

"Oh," she said, softly, as she realized. He was just projecting onto her because she was there. It really didn't mean anything at all. Of course it didn't. Who was she kidding? She bit her bottom lip, refusing to let herself show her hurt as it sank in. "Okay."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that," she said, angry for a reason she didn't quite understand. Not at him, but rather at herself. She fought to keep her voice even as she said, "You've said it a hundred times. You don't have to keep telling me."

"Donna-"

There was a sudden knock on the door, and then Martha poked her head in. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, as she absorbed their position on the bed, her eyes widening. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No. Definitely not," Donna answered, as she untangled herself from the Doctor and stood up. "I was just telling him that you were looking for him."

The Doctor sat up and swung his legs off the side of the bed. "Sorry I disappeared on you, Martha."

"That's okay. I just didn't want to leave without saying goodbye." She stepped all of the way into the room, cradling the baby. "He's been fussy since you left, so I thought I would try to find you."

"He's hungry. I should have realized it sooner," the Doctor said, with a sigh. He glanced at Donna. "We'll have to get him a bottle."

"Well, I'll be off," Martha said, as she handed the baby to Donna and went to hug the Doctor. "Thank you again. Please let me know how he's doing in a few weeks."

"I will," he agreed. "Here, I'll walk you out."

"Don't forget to put us into the vortex. We can't stay parked here forever," Donna reminded him, and then she turned her attention to the snuffling baby in her arms.

* * *

A/N: I've actually already finished writing the next (last) chapter, so I'll post it soon. Thank you reading this!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Well, this is the last chapter. I hope no one is disappointed, but there just wasn't enough plot here for me to drag it out much longer.

I made a very basic cover for this on Canva, which is a simple design site that I've been trying out lately and can recommend, although they don't have many free baby images. In fact, the one I used for this story was just about it.

Disclaimer: I still do not own Doctor Who.

* * *

Donna sat holding the baby in her arms. He was greedily sucking on his bottle, his eyes half-closed. "He sure is hungry," she said to the Doctor, who stood on the opposite side of the kitchen. Things had been uncomfortable between them since the incident a few days earlier, but she was trying hard to push through it and act normal.

He nodded. "I guess he's still making up for his time at UNIT."

She looked back down at the baby. His tiny fingers were curled up next to his face as he focused his energy on emptying the bottle. His thatch of dark hair stood out underneath the forest green cap on his head, part of an outfit that the Doctor had bought for him. "He needs a name," she said, firmly. She had been waiting for the Doctor to bring it up, but she'd finally had enough. "We can't keep calling him the baby."

"Why not?" the Doctor asked. "The Baby seems like a perfectly good name to me."

Donna looked up and was grateful to see the teasing grin on his face. She rolled her eyes at him. "Maybe it works for you, but I think he needs a proper name."

"What would you like to call him, then?" he asked, softly, as he sat down next to her.

She shook her head. "You have to decide that, not me."

He thought for a long moment, and then shrugged. "Have you got any suggestions?"

"Maybe we should give him a name that honors his people," she mused. "What kind of names did the Arelisians have?"

"I don't know," the Doctor said, as he looked down at the baby. "They were a strictly telepathic society, and a rather secretive and secluded one at that. Even my people never managed to get a good grasp on their communication." He looked back at her. "I suppose it's possible that they didn't have names at all."

Donna frowned as she processed his words. "How can someone not have a name?" And then she realized something else. "If they were strictly telepathic, does that mean… Will he be able to learn to talk?"

"Oh, yes, of course he will," the Doctor said, nodding. "The TARDIS has done some scans, and he's got all the right bits for speech. My guess is that all Arelisians were born with perfectly formed speech centers in their brains. They just didn't use speech, and so their brains probably used those areas to help process telepathy instead as they grew. He's young, so he will be fine as long as we talk to him."

"Oh, good." Donna sighed in relief. The baby finished his bottle, so she shifted him and began gently patting his back to burp him. "Was that yummy?" she asked him, as she kissed the top of his head. "Aw, sweet baby. What should we call you?"

"You really don't have any ideas?" the Doctor asked.

"I can't choose his name," she insisted.

"Why not?"

"Because he's not mine."

The Doctor wrinkled his brow in confusion. "But he is yours," he said, gently. "If you hadn't brought him back with you, I never would have bonded with him. You're the one who saved him, not me." He touched her knee for a second, and then removed his hand just as quickly when he realized his mistake. "Besides, you said that you would help me, didn't you? And you've been doing all of the work to care for him so far. I haven't even been able to bring myself to hold him since I bonded with him. So as far as I'm concerned, he's ours. Just like Jenny was our daughter, and you named her."

Donna felt tears prick her eyes as his words sank in. "Do you really mean that?" she asked, softly, as she wiped her eyes.

"Of course I do," he assured her, his gaze earnest as he looked at her.

"Thank you," she whispered, as she lost control and the tears started pouring. She'd always wanted to be a mother, but it hadn't happened for her yet. To have the honor of being mother to this child who had survived against the odds, not once, but twice was beyond her dreams. And Jenny. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that he'd thought of her as Jenny's mum all along, and it took her a moment to remember how to breathe.

When she managed to get herself together, she found the Doctor watching her with warmth and affection in his eyes. "All right?" he asked her, softly.

She nodded and shifted the baby in her arms again, turning him to face the Doctor. "Come here and hold our son," she told him, gently, and a little thrill ran down her spine. She could hardly believe that she'd just said those words, and yet she already wanted to say them again.

The Doctor gave her a soft smile as he stood from his chair and walked the few steps to her. He met her eyes, and she could see his fear there, but there was a spark of something else too. He held out his arms slowly, and Donna carefully passed their baby to him.

The Doctor cradled their son to his chest with a practiced ease that could have only come from experience. He closed his eyes for a long moment, and Donna watched as they silently communicated with each other in a way that she would never be able to do. When he opened his eyes, he bent to kiss his son's tiny forehead. "I'm sorry that it took me so long," the Doctor whispered, as he cuddled him closer.

Donna smiled as she watched them, knowing that she had just witnessed something very special. The Doctor finally had a family again, and she was a mother.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, things only got better. The Doctor's hormones settled down, and he managed to stop his obsessive cooking and cleaning. He had also slowly grown more confident in his ability to be a father again. Donna had never been so happy as she helped him care for their son, filling the role that she had craved for so long. They had mostly stopped traveling for the time being, but neither minded. The universe would still be there when they were ready to start again. Probably when little Samuel, who had finally given a name that was suggested by Donna and agreed on by the both of them, was around four or five years old.

One day, after the Doctor had fed Sam and sat rocking him in the kitchen in one of the wooden rocking chairs that the TARDIS had provided, he got a surprise. "He just smiled at me!" he exclaimed, as he looked up at Donna with a delighted grin on his own face. "His first proper smile!"

She smiled back and hurried over to see for herself, her heart warm as she watched them interact. She couldn't help but feel proud of the Doctor for how he had stepped up. Despite his initial reluctance, he was a natural father and had been wonderful with Sam.

"Oh, look at you," she cooed at Sam, who smiled toothlessly up at her. "What a happy little face you've got! You're growing up so fast!"

The Doctor snorted. "He's still only a baby, Donna."

She gently smacked his shoulder. "Hush, you. You know he's developing a bit differently than babies do back home."

He shook his head. "Your mum's so mean to me," he whispered to Sam. "Why don't you tell her to be nice?"

Sam smiled at her again, and Donna couldn't resist bending down to give his sweet chubby cheek a kiss. "You tell your dad to keep his big mouth shut and maybe I'll try to be nicer to him." She stood up and affectionately touched the Doctor's shoulder. "I think I'm going to make some tea. Would you like a cup?"

"Yes, please," he agreed, and then turned his attention back to Sam.

They were interacting telepathically, she knew, as she watched them both from the opposite side of the kitchen. It had become a familiar sight for her, even though the Doctor tried to verbalize most things when she was around. She honestly didn't mind, but she appreciated him making the effort all the same.

"Donna," the Doctor said, quietly, when she had finished with the tea, "I was just thinking… Would you like to feel what I feel through the bond?"

There was something almost nervous in his tone, and she wrinkled her brow at him. "Can you do that?" she asked, quietly.

"I think so, yeah," he said, though he didn't sound certain at all. "Here, come sit down and let me try."

Donna sat down in her own rocking chair next to his, excitement and wonder filling her as she took a deep breath. The Doctor stood and used one hand to touch her contact points as he kept Sam safely secured in his other arm. Nothing happened for a long moment, and Donna was just about to assure him that it was okay when she was plunged into a whole new experience.

Contentment and love. Pure love, sent from the Doctor and returned to him by Sam. And then another burst of love flowed through her from the both of them. She had never felt anything like it before, but it was wonderful, like being inside and wrapped up in a soft blanket on a cold, windy day.

Only it wasn't platonic love being directed to her on the Doctor's part, she realized with a gasp. Her eyes snapped open to look at him, and she found him smiling at her. "It was never just biology," he said, softly, and she understood what he meant as he told her without saying another word how much she meant to him, how beautiful she was, and how much he wanted to kiss her, among other things, but also how scared he had been to tell her while he was still under the influence of his wonky hormones when both his words and actions had been so easy for her to dismiss.

"Really? You love me?" she asked, quietly, when he broke the connection between them. Some part of her needed to hear him say it despite everything that she had just felt.

"Oh yes," he assured her. "Very much so."

"You want to kiss me?" she murmured.

"Yes," he said, softly. "Can I?"

"Well, go on then," she said, smiling warmly as she remembered him saying the same exact words not so long ago.

So he did, careful not to squish Sam between them as he kissed her for all she was worth.

That night, a new bond was formed between them that would last for many years to come. Maybe not forever from the Doctor's point of view, but long enough to be worth losing her in the end. And isn't that really the best that anyone can hope for?

* * *

The End

* * *

A/N: I sincerely want to thank everyone who read, favorited and followed my very first posted DW multi-chapter fic! And an especially big thank you goes to the people who reviewed while I was writing this and encouraged me to keep going!


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